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Hotel Blog Watch
Hotel Blog Watch :: Household Tips from Christopher's Inn
October 1, 2008 at 12:16 PM | 1 Comment
Two things immediately grab us about the blog being run by the owners of Christopher's Inn in Florida: first, it's not just full of boring, blatant advertising, and second, the name of their blog has a good pun: Innside Story. That's a big thumbs up right from the get go.
Delve a bit deeper into this blog and you can certainly learn more about Christopher's Inn and the locality of Mount Dora. And you can also find a bunch of useful recipes, including some delicious-sounding sweet potato pancakes which, just to show that the competition is friendly in Mount Dora, actually come from the kitchen at another nearby inn!
Florida Hotels
Florida Keys Hotels Shut Down as Tropical Storm Fay Moves Ashore
August 18, 2008 at 10:13 AM | 0 Comments
Tropical storm Fay is headed toward the U.S. after slamming Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and could be upgraded to low-level hurricane status as it moves ashore late today or early tomorrow.
As of this morning, a tropical storm warning remained in effect for the Florida Keys and parts of South Florida, and a hurricane watch had been issued for most of the Keys and along Florida's west coast to Tarpon Springs.
An AP report outlining Fay's status said:
Keys officials earlier Sunday had issued a mandatory evacuation order for visitors and asked those who had not yet arrived to postpone their trips. Officials said hotels and businesses won't be forced to remove visitors, but they should use common sense.
Yikes. Due to the evacuation orders, it looks like Sheraton Key West is officially closed, as their website has a "Temporary Hotel Closure -- August 17 to August 21, 2008" advisory on the home page.
Adventure Resorts
Sandestin Resort Gets a Zip Line, But Is That Enough?
August 6, 2008 at 9:00 AM | 0 Comments
Who'd want to pick a hotel according to the best rooms or a great restaurant when you could choose Florida's Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort because of its new zip line?
Yep, we admit that we can be sold by something like this, and so Northwest Florida's Sandestin Resort's whole Baytowne Adventure Zone sounds like something we could get into. The zip line has some nice figures: it runs 52 feet above the ground and takes you 650 from tower to tower, giving great (but fast) views over the Baytowne Wharf area.
WASP Hotels
WASP Hotels :: SoFla's Haughtiest Resort
December 3, 2007 at 9:10 AM | 0 Comments
The Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Fla. is patroned by the kind of people who wear their family crests on their loafers. And yes -- Stubbs & Wootton, a prep-serving boutique with a location a few minutes away on 4 Via Parigi, actually sells these. This type of foolishness deserves our chagrin and broad stereotyping.
The 140-acre, five-star hotel gives WASPs what they most appreciate -- a history. In South Florida, where everything is brand new and kinda makeshift, The Breakers has been around since 1896. Well, technically, that building burnt to the ground and had to be rebuilt in the 20s, but let's just say the hotel has been around to house rich people in big, floppy hats since they had a luxury railcar to take them to the tip of the peninsula.
Related Stories:
· The Breakers Reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Stubbs & Wootton [Official Site]
Eco-Hotels
Hyatt Key West Helps You AND The Reef
September 4, 2007 at 9:07 AM | 0 Comments
Relaxation and indulgence is getting a social conscience down at the Hyatt Key West Resort & Marina as part of its new Jala Spa facility due to open this month. The Jala Spa (that means "water" in Sanskrit, apparently) is just one part of a $10m redesign.
The spa itself sounds a bit on the small side--just two treatment rooms and three poolside spa cabanas--but the Hyatt wants you not only to feel good yourself but to feel you're doing good too. So they have this special deal with Reef Relief to donate $5 of every Jala Blue treatment price to protect the coral reefs around Key West. And just to follow the green theme, the Hyatt Key West is also hoping to becoming "Green Approved" in Florida before next year.
[Photo: rae22]
Related Stories:
· Key West Hotels [HotelChatter]
· Two Key West resorts get green lodging approval [HotelChatter]
Hotels News
The Green Hotel Trend Keeps Spreading in South Florida
August 30, 2007 at 2:55 PM | 0 Comments
In the resort hotels and inns of South Florida, managers and owners are seeing a payoff from being more eco-friendly. That's according to this article in the Florida Sun-Sentinel that breaks down the trend with some specific examples.
We like that they quickly run through the half-hearted efforts, like putting a little placard up asking guests to reuse their towels, and quickly get to some practices that take real effort. We're still a little grossed out by the waterless urinals at The Colony Resort and Cabana Club, but we do like their idea of using recycled carpet squares instead of wall-to-wall. "When one square wears out, detach, recycle and replace it, without throwing out the whole rug." Owner and manager Jestena Boughton also reuses sheets that have gotten a rip, turning them into curtains or pillowcases.
In wealthy Palm Beach County, The Colony Hotel (above) and the Breakers Palm Beach have both earned a "Green Lodging Certification" from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. In downtown Miami, the Four Seasons and InterContinental have gotten the nod.
Kudos to Rick Hawkins, The Breakers' director of materials management, who puts it all in language that the Wall Street Journal editorial page readers can understand. "If we don't do things to save the planet, our lovely historic hotel is going to be a dive site one day. And everything we've done boosts profitability. The return on investment long-term is huge."
Related Stories:
· South Florida hotels find going green helps bottom line, planet [Sun-Sentinel]
· Two Key West Resorts Get Florida Green Lodging Approval [HotelChatter]
Green Hotels
Green Hotel Update :: Sandpearl Resort
June 11, 2007 at 9:25 AM | 0 Comments
The latest hotel slated to pop up on Clearwater Beach should do less damage to the shoreline than its old-school predecessors. The Sandpearl Resort is bragging that it'll have LEED certification when it opens in "late summer 2007".
A number of nice touches are planned to thrill the eco-conscious crowd. Window glazing keeps energy costs down and blocks out the fierce Florida sun. A salt filtering system is rigged up in the pool, so there's no chlorine around. Underground parking keeps the coastline uncluttered and cars nice and cool--and "preferred" parking spaces are set aside for hybrid vehicle drivers.
There is a little something we're not too sure about though:
Ozone laundry system, which reduces water consumption by requiring less water to clean through fewer cycles.
We don't know about you, but we're always happy when the sheets the last guest slept on are nice and clean.
Related Stories:
· Best Green Hotels in the U.S. [HotelChatter]
Celebrity Scoop
Anna Nicole Smith Dies at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel
February 8, 2007 at 4:15 PM | 0 Comments
There's not much here to report except for the fact that, according to reports, Anna Nicole Smith collapsed and died at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida earlier today.
The Yahoo News report says she was unresponsive and rushed to a hospital. Perez Hilton manages to have a bit more color:
Paramedics were called and performed CPR on the tragic blonde, in addition to inserting a tube in her mouth. Paramedics were seen pumping her chest as she was taken from the hotel.
Streets as far as three miles from the hotel were closed off during the commotion.
Not much else to say except it appears to be a sad end to a tumultuous life.
Related Stories:
· It's Official: Anna Nicole Smith is dead [Perez Hilton]
